Leaked SCOTUS decision makes this years midterms all the more important in Texas | KABB Fox 29

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By: Matt Roy

“It makes us very hopeful,” executive director of Texas Alliance for Life Dr. Joe Pojman said.

But there is one thing the pro-life and pro-choice sides agree on: their bases are going to get out and vote this year.

“I think you’re gonna see a lot of people turn out this upcoming election that are angry about the position that the Supreme Court has taken, that is really against the safety and health of millions of women,” Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez, president of local liberal voter group Nextgen America, said.

“We encourage Pro-life voters to get out to the polls in the midterm elections, early voting in October and Election Day in November,” Pojman added.

Texas groups react to leaked Supreme Court opinion on abortion | Fox 29

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By: by Jordan Elder

Other groups, like Texas Alliance for Life, are cautiously optimistic about the contents of the draft.

“It is our hope that when the final decision is released…it reflects the same opinion that we’re seeing now,” said Amy O’Donnell, communications director for the organization. “But we do recognize that drafts circulate and opinions change.”

Texas abortion laws are already among the strictest in the country.

Texas Alliance for Life has lobbied for tougher regulations, including the House Bill 1280, a so-called “trigger law” which hinges on the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

“30 days after the judgment is rendered, then abortion is completely outlawed in Texas, and life is protected from conception to birth,” O’Donnell said.

Texas also passed the Heartbeat Law, which went into effect last year.

It outlaws abortions after a heartbeat is detected, which is usually about six weeks.

Texans protests that six-week abortion ban will come into effect | KABB Fox 29

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By: Alejandra Guzman-Tracy

While pro-choice groups say this is a game-changer, pro-life organizations say this is a step in the wrong direction.

“We’re disappointed that the Biden Harris administration we would go to these lengths,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life.

Lengths Attorney General Merrick Garland says are necessary.

“Eighty-five to 90 percent of abortions performed in Texas before this law was in effect, we’re on patients who are past the six-week mark,” Duble claimed.

The law also doesn’t make exceptions for victims of rape or incest

“The act is clearly unconstitutional under long-standing Supreme court precedent,” Garland said.

“We have to remember that if a woman is impregnated after a rape, that there are two parties involved to victims,” Pojman said. “The mother, who is the victim of rape, but also the innocent unborn child. And we should not advocate for taking the life of the unborn child.”

https://foxsanantonio.com/

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By: Melanie Barden

Thursday—the Texas Senate gave final approval for a controversial bill known as the “Heartbeat Bill.”

“It’s a bill that would protect unborn children in the womb from abortion beginning when the heartbeat is detected which is around 6 weeks,” says Joe Pojman with the Texas Alliance for Life.

Pojman says the bill is a novel concept—not just for Texas but the entire country.

There are no criminal penalties for performing abortions after a heartbeat is detected.

But it gives people the right to sue or file civil litigation against physicians who perform the procedure after that time frame.

Critics say the time frame isn’t long enough– as some women don’t know they’re pregnant that early on.

“I think the authors of the bill would argue the unborn child is still a person regardless of whether the mother knows the unborn child or not,” says Pojman.

The final bill includes several amendments including in situations of rape and incest—the person who impregnates someone cannot sue a doctor.

Amendments also specify doctors’ rights to defend their practice decisions in court.

The bill is now headed to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk where he’s signaled he’ll sign it in the coming days.

However, legal challenges are expected.

‘Texas Rally for Life’ taking place at Capitol and virtually | KABB San Antonio

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By: Claudia Jimenez

The 2021 Texas Rally for Life is being held at the Capitol and virtually Saturday afternoon.

Organizers say people are gathering to protest the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling, which legalized abortion nationwide. It was decided nearly 50 years ago on Jan. 22, 1973.

The event is being held from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Starting at 2 p.m., a livestream will begin from near the Capitol. The livestream will be broadcast on The Bridge at 101.1 FM and 1120 AM.

A recorded message from Gov. Greg Abbott will be shown. Other speakers include State Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels), Bishop Joe Vasquez with the Catholic Diocese of Austin and Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood director. A special proclamation will also be read.

Those who want to participate in the caravan should gather at the designated parking garages at 14th Street and San Jacinto Boulevard. Vehicles will leave from the garages starting at 1:30 p.m. to start a 30-minute loop around the city and the Capitol.

More than forty organizations are participating, including Texas Alliance for Life, Texas Values and Young Conservatives of Texas.

Austin pro-life rally and car caravan mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade | KABB Fox San Antonio

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By: Bettie Cross

The 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade brought protestors and a caravan of cars to the Texas Capitol on Saturday.

A long line of cars inched their way up Congress Avenue with horns and shouts making the pro-life message clear. The caravan circled downtown Austin to kick off the Texas Rally for Life. Before the drivers made a lap, others gathered at the Texas Capitol to denounce the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States.

“We are hopeful, but we are not certain that the Supreme Court may be willing to take a fresh look at Roe unencumbered by precedent and give our legislators more latitude to protect unborn children before viability,” said Dr. Joe Pojman, Founder of Texas Alliance for Life.

Pro-life advocates called on the Texas Legislature to be ready for possible abortion rights changes. They say that includes passing the Human Life Protection Act.

“When Roe is overturned, and I believe Roe will be overturned very soon, as soon as that happens innocent children are protected in the womb immediately as soon as that happens. That’s what the Human Life Protection Act will do,” said Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood Director.